Frame for fabrication of floral simulations

ABSTRACT

For the fabrication of imaginative floral simulations in macrame or the like there is provided an open-sided calyx-shaped frame of wire or plastic including a top ring connected by inwardly curving brackets to a tubular bottom member which is adapted to anchor a stem wire. The brackets are provided with holes disposed diametrically opposite each other for receiving a bead-orienting wire.

March 1974 r L. A. TUCKER 3,796,626

FRAME FOR FABRICATION OF FLORAL SIMULATIONS Filed Sept. 11, 1972 3,796,626 FRAME FOR FABRICATION F FLORAL SIMULATIONS Lynne A. Tucker, La Crescenta, Calif. (744 /2 N. Glendale Ave., Glendale, Calif. 91206) Filed Sept. 11, 1972, Ser. No. 288,137

Int. Cl. A41g 1/02 U.S. Cl. 16131 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE For the fabrication of imaginative floral simulations in macram or the like there is provided an open-sided calyx-shaped frame of wire or plastic including a top ring connected by inwardly curving brackets to a tubular bottom member which is adapted to anchor a stem wire. The brackets are provided with holes disposed diametrically opposite each other for receiving a bead-orienting wire.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention The present invention relates to the simulation of three dimensional flora in macrame or the like and more particularly to a novel frame adapted for assembly with beads, yarn, etc. to form a wide variety of such simulations.

(2) Description of the prior art The fabrication of various articles in macram has become a highly developed art. The basic material, which may be cotton seine twine, woolen yarn, or similar material, is formed by knotting into various articles of wearing apparel or into decorative objects, either alone or in conjunction with other materials such as leather, beads, etc.

Aids employed in the fabrication of such articles have included tying boards upon which the pattern of the article or a portion of it is outlined by small, easily removable, finishing nails or wire brads around which a carrier cord may be rigged; other cords being knotted upon the carrier cord as the fabrication of the article progresses. Upon completion of the article, the nails or brads are removed from the board to separate the completed article from the board upon which it was fabricated.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a frame upon which floral simulations may be fabricated by macram techniques, which will remain as a structural but substantially concealed element of the finished article.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention a frame is provided which includes a carrier ring which has attached to it inwardly curved brackets connected at their opposite ends to a cylinder of smaller diameter than the carrier ring; the frame thus having the general configuration of a calyx.

The cylinder is preferably provided with small holes disposed in alignment transversely with respect to the axis of the cylinder for reception and anchoring of one of a stern wire passing axially of the cylinder in simulation of a flower stem.

Each of the brackets is provided adjacent its connection to the carrier ring with a smaller ring portion disposed in a plane generally normal to the plane of the carrier ring; these smaller ring portions being provided for the optional anchoring within the carrier ring of a bead having a diametrical bore. Such anchoring may be effected by passing a small wire through these smaller ring portions and through the bore of the bead and then twisting the wire ends about the stem wire.

In use, yarns may be knotted on the carrier ring and the space within the ring may be occupied either by knot- 3,796,626 Patented Mar. 12,, 1974 ted yarn in various configurations or by conventional wooden beads which may be anchored within the carrier ring in various orientations, e.g., with their bores either 1n a plane paralleling the plane of the carrier ring or in a plane normal thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a frame embodying the present invention;

FIG. is a detail view of a ball of the kind used in macrame;

FIG. 3 is a view in front elevation and partial section of such a frame showing one manner of securing a stem wire and bead thereto;

FIG. 4 is a View in front elevation and partial section of such a frame showing another manner of securing a bead thereto;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are detail vieWs of plugs optionally employed in conjunction with beads oriented in the position shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings, the frame 12 of the present invention, which may be of a moulded plastic material, comprises a carrier ring 13 having integral, inwardly curved, brackets 14 depending from it at diametrically opposite positions. At their opposite ends the brackets 14 are connected to a cylinder 16 having an axial bore 18 and smaller aligned transverse bores 20 in its wall.

Each of the brackets 14 is provided adjacent its juncture with the carrier ring 13 with a smaller ring portion 22 disposed in a plane generally normal to the plane of the carrier ring 13. Central openings 24 of the ring portions 22 are disposed in axial alignment for purposes hereinafter described.

The carrier ring 13 is designed to have mounted thereon, by macram techniques, a plurality of strands of cord or yarn; it being understood that there may be employed for this purpose any of the various forms of knots conventionally employed in the art of macram and described in various publications, such as, for example, Practical Macram by Eugene Andes published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York, 1971.

Depending upon the design that is to be made, the ends of the strands of yarn knotted upon the carrier ring 13 in this manner are then either cut off at appropriate lengths and/or untwisted and brushed, and/or further knotted using macram techniques.

After the desired number of strands of yarn have been mounted on the carrier ring 13 in this manner, a stem wire 36 (FIG. 3) is attached to the frame 12 by passing one end of it through the axial bore 18 of the cylinder 16 and thence, as shown in FIG. 3, through the transverse bores 20 after which it is twisted around the portion of the stem wire 36 immediately adjacent the end of the cylinder 16.

A conventional wooden bead 32 (FIGS. 2 and 3) having a diametrical bore 33 may be mounted within the carrier ring 13 and anchored in that position by passing a small wire 34 through the axially aligned central openings 24 of the ring portions 22 and the diametrical bore 33. The free ends of the wire 34 then are twisted around the upper portion of the stern wire 36, as indicated at 37, after which it and the lower portion of the frame 12 may be decoratively covered with floral tape or the like so that a gamosepalous calyx and the stem of a flower are effectively simulated.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, such a head 32 may be mounted within the carrier ring 13 with its diametrical bore 33 aligned with the axis of the ring 13. When it is desired to orient a bead 32 in this manner, a wire formed with a small hook on one end is first inserted through the central opening 33 of the bead 32 and employed to pull an intermediate loop 39 of a length of yarn 40 through the beads central opening after which a wire 38 is employed to anchor the bead 32 and yarn 40 in the desired position by twisting the ends of the wire 38 around the stem wire 36 a portion only of which is shown in FIG. 6, but which is attached to the frame 12 in the same manner as has been explained in connection with FIG. 3.

When a head 32 is attached to the frame 12 in the orientation illustrated in FIG. 4, any of a variety of plugs such as those illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 may be inserted in the uppermost end of the central opening of the head 32 compressing the yarn strand 40 against the walls of the opening 33. Each of the plugs 50 comprises a concave cap 52 the curvature of which conforms with the curvature of the adjacent surface of the head 32 and an integral tube portion 54 which is preferably split to enhance its compressibility. The upper convex surfaces of the plugs 50 may bear only surface ornamentation, as indicated at 56 in FIG. 5, or they may be provided with a loop or loops, as shown at 58 in FIG. 6, to which other design elements, such as knotted lengths of yarn, may be secured. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper convex surface of a plug 50 may be provided with one or more pegs 60 to which smaller beads of the same general character as the bead 32 may be attached by engagement of one of the pegs 60 within the diametrical bore of such a bead where it may be anchored either frictionally or by adhesive. Finally, the upper convex surface of a plug 50 may have design elements built into it, such as the simulated flower stamens 62 shown in FIG. 8.

The employment of a bead such as the bead 32 may be entirely dispensed with if desired, and yarn used to fill the space within the carrier ring 13. When the frame 12 of the present invention is employed in this manner, strands of yarn are first mounted on the carrier ring 13, as has been described, and then several strands of the yarn are looped around a hook on one end of a wire to which they are then secured by closing the hook with a pair of pliers or the like. This wire is then inserted through the central opening 18 of the cylinder 16 parallel to the stem wire 36 with which it is then joined by twisting, after which floral tape may be applied to the frame and joined wires, as has been described.

In other applications of the frame 12 of the present invention, separate yarns may be knotted onto larger or smaller rings than the carrier ring 13 which may then be secured to the frame 12 by tying, either with lengths of wire or yarns, or simulations of flower petals may be formed independently of the frame, and subsequently attached thereto; such petals being formed either through the use of macram techniques and attached to the frame 12 using a double half hitch or formed by the use of macram techniques over separate carrier wires which may be attached to the frame 12 by tying or twisting such a wire around a portion of the frame. No exhaustive description of the potential applications of the frame of the present invention has been attempted herein because its many applications are limited only by the ingenuity and creativity of the user.

I claim:

1. A frame for the fabrication of simulations of flora in macram or the like, a carrier ring, a plurality of brackets depending from said carrier ring, and a hollow cylinder attached to said brackets adjacent their opposite ends.

2. A frame according to claim 1 in which said hollow cylinder is provided with aligned bores disposed transversely with respect to its axis.

3. A frame according to claim 2 in which a pair of said brackets are provided with ring portions having central openings in axial alignment.

4. A frame according to claim 1 in which a pair of said brackets are provided with ring portions having central openings in axial alignment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,694,844 12/1928 Gerson 161-30 1,748,636 2/1930 Crockett 161-30 3,301,516 1/196-7 Bruno 248-218 3,556,916 1/1971 Levey et al. 161-30 WILLIAM E. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

